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Saturday, March 16, 2013

Indie Spotlight: Michelle Muckley

Every writer has a "when I knew I wanted to be a writer" story. And every self published author has a "how I knew I wanted to self-publish" story.

In today's spotlight, Michelle Mukley - author of two self published novels (Loss of Deference andEscaping Life) takes a moment to share her own stories... that of the initial urge to write, of dealing with rejection, and of her choice to pursue the route of self publishing...

Invisible
Filters and the Self Published Writer

When I
first set out to start writing a book I was twenty one years old. It was a rain soaked New Year’s Eve, I was
stood in the courtyard of a local pub, and I was wondering why I hadn’t stayed
at home and ordered a pizza. I huddled
under a small umbrella with a bottle of Budweiser in my blue hand and announced
to my friend that I had an idea for a novel and that I was going to set about
writing it. But in spite of her
excitement and encouragement, I never wrote that story. At the most the story was lame. At worst, it was unfeasible. But the whole thought process left me with
something much more important. The
desire to actually do it.

With a head
full of ideas from there on I constantly made notes. There were endless post-its in my diary, full
with names or places that had no bearing to each other, but rather they formed
a collective of random ideas from the mind of a disillusioned scientist who
knew that there was something else from life that she wanted.

In the end,
it happened. I wrote The Loss of
Deference. Following an effort which
spanned two years, writing chapters sporadically when time permitted, I was
left with something that resembled a manuscript. I privately proclaimed as I sat looking at
the ‘finished’ book that I was a writer, and celebrated that fact by sending
out the manuscript to an agent. It
wasn’t long after this that I got my first rejection letter.

It’s a
strange feeling to have something you have worked on so passionately rejected
outright without any explanation or justification. I sent it out again to another agent, and the
same thing happened. Had I forgotten
something? Had an office junior made a
mistake? I would have liked to think so,
but it was an over complicated solution for a problem that was much more
simplistic.

It wasn’t
good enough.

I left the
manuscript in the cupboard for a while, partially out of disappointment, but
more so out of a growing uncertainty at exactly what it was that I should be
doing to make it better. After a period
of separation, I decided that I had reached the time for objectivity, and
started to truthfully assess the content.
As hard as it was to admit, when I reread the manuscript, I easily found
issues with it. Not just typing errors,
but larger areas of text where I knew I could make it better. With that in mind, I forced myself back into
the editor’s chair and rewrote parts of the story. It was a difficult process, admitting to
myself that what I had produced with such confidence had been
unacceptable. Nobody ever wants to
believe that what they produce is substandard, especially when you want very
much to be successful writer. But in
order to move past the point of failure I had to do just that. Until I accepted it, I couldn’t rework the
material subjectively.

So, why
when I am given an opportunity to talk about my work am I telling you my faults
and failings?

Because it
is a fact that indie publishing grew by 287% between 2006 and 2011(source,
Bowker). Indie publishing is becoming
more widely accepted. It is becoming
mainstream. Indie is no longer
considered quite so alternative, and most readers could name you at least one
self published author who is enjoying success.
The reason? For many writers like
me, e-Book publishing through Amazon or Smashwords has effectively removed the
barrier to publishing, giving us direct access to readers and an unrestricted
route into print. Anybody has the chance
to become published. No painful search
for an agent. No slush pile. No rejection letter. It’s an attractive option. But what this also does is remove the
inherent filter of the traditional publishing world, thus allowing many titles
that would once remain unpublished a chance to find a place in the market. So in a rapidly growing sector that is
inundated by new releases, the only way to carve a niche for yourself is to
bring with you a damn good set of tools.

I have
published two books through Amazon KDP. Since they were published I have reworked the
covers of both books, and sat down and re-edited them. I have listened to feedback and taken the criticism. On reflection, it is only now that I think
both of these books are of the quality and standard that a reader deserves. Fortunately for me, readers have enjoyed both
releases anyway, before I re-edited them, but that is not to say that either of
the first editions were perfect. So by
admitting this does it make me brave or stupid?
I think neither of those things.
It just makes me honest.

When I buy
a print book from the bookstore, I am not looking for a poorly edited proof, or
a substandard cover. I am looking for a
quality product that is professionally finished. Self publishing in the beginning is a bit
like growing up as the child of an A list celebrity. Our failings are there for all to see. Our mistakes are made in public. But like anything in life, mistakes will and
do occur, and learning from them is important.
I am close to releasing my third book.
It is only this time, now that I have learnt from the process of the
previous two releases that I believe I will get it right first time. I now have an editor, a designer, a set of
beta readers, and enough patience to wait to release the work. It is only through the process of self publishing
that writers learn what it takes to publish, and what kind of team you need
around you. The name of ‘self’
publishing itself is very misleading.
There is a reason that traditional publishers do not expect writers to
come up with everything on their own. There
is a reason that it takes longer than any writer wants to wait before the book
is published. There is a reason that my
first manuscript was sent back to me. When
there are no filters in the self publication process, isn’t it about time we
start making up our own?

Bio:

I decided that I was going to be a
writer from a young age. Apparently, I
also decided to be a procrastinator, and waited twenty years before I finally
wrote Chapter One. In the meantime I studied
science and started working in cardiology.
I loved this job, but there was a creative need that remained
unfulfilled. It was at this point that I began to write my first book.

Six years later, having uprooted from England and having settled on the
southern Mediterranean shores of Cyprus, the dream to publish is now a reality.
I am still working as a part time scientist, but I am also writing daily. When
I am not sat at the computer you will find me hiking in the mountains, drinking
frappe at the beach, or talking to myself in the kitchen in the style of an American
celebrity chef. Just think Ina
Garten.

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Who's That Girl?

I have been buried beneath small press and self-published review copies since 2009. My passion for supporting the small press and self publishing communities has driven me out into the world wide web to demonstrate alternative ways to spread the word about amazing publishers, authors, and novels you might never had heard of. Feeding your reading addiction, one book at a time.